SiriusXM Canada's Top Comic finalists named for $15,000 competition at JFL42

-     The top eight comedians across Canada have been chosen by the country to move on to Finale

-     One finalist will win Top Comic title and $15,000 at JFL42 and ALL finalists will open for comedy superstar Russell Peters in cross-Canada tour

TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2014 /CNW/ - SiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), the country's leading audio entertainment company, today announced the eight finalists in the 5^th annual SiriusXM's Top Comic competition. Finalists will face off for a $15,000 grand prize at the Finale on September 25^th, headlined by comedian Jon Dore, as part of Just For Laughs' JFL42 Festival in Toronto. Each finalist has also been given the opportunity to perform an opening set for international comedy sensation Russell Peters in each city during the Canadian leg of Peters' Almost Famous Tour.

After scouring the country to hold auditions with Canada's funniest comedians in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and St. John's earlier this summer, SiriusXM judged and selected three semi-finalists from each city. Canadians then voted online for their favourite in each city, with those eight comedians now moving on to the Finale to perform before a panel of celebrity judges and comedy insiders who will award one with $15,000.

The 2014 SiriusXM's Top Comic finalists are:

Vancouver - Darcy Michael
Edmonton - Dan Taylor
Winnipeg - Chantel Marostica
Hamilton - Tom O'Donnell
Toronto - Pat Thornton
Ottawa - Adrian Cronk
Montreal - Faisal Butt
St. John's - Steve Coombs

Each finalists will also join Canada's number one comedy export Russell Peters on his new Almost Famous Tour, presented by SiriusXM Canada, by opening for Peters in sold-out arenas and venues across the country starting in September 2014.

"We were so excited for the comedic talent that took part in this competition and are absolutely thrilled with the amazing comedians Canada chose to compete in the Finale this year," said Ben Miner, Canadian comic and host of SiriusXM's Canada Laughs channel. "And the fact that they also get to open for arguably the biggest comedian in the world is an outstanding opportunity to elevate their careers."

"I'm really happy to partner up with SiriusXM on such a worthy initiative that helps Canadian comedians get into the spotlight," said Russell Peters. "This country is full of talent and the finalists are all exceptional comics that I'm proud to have as part of my tour."

SiriusXM's Top Comic Finale will take place on September 25^th as part of Just For Laughs' JFL42 Festival in Toronto. The show, featuring all eight finalists, host Ben Miner and headliner Jon Dore of The Jon Dore Show and HBO Canada's Funny as Hell, will be broadcast live on Canada Laughs channel 168 across North America.

Top Comic is part of SiriusXM Canada's ongoing initiatives to provide exposure to and support Canadian talent. Previous winners of SiriusXM's Top Comic contest include Pete Zedlacher, Eric Andrews, Matt O'Brien and Brian Stollery.

SiriusXM subscribers will get access to special JFL42 programming live during the festival from September 18^th - 27^th on Canada Laughs channel 168 as well as Canada Talks channel 167.

This fall, Russell Peters will take over Canada Laughs (Channel 168) to feature some of his new and archived content, special guests, interviews and more for a full month. More details on Russell Peters Month on Canada Laughs to follow.

Canada Laughs channel 168 features uncensored Canadian comedy 24/7 including stand-up, sketch, musical comedy and more, putting the spotlight on the rich pool of extraordinary talent from Canada. Canada Laughs is available to all Sirius and XM subscribers in Canada and across the U.S. and joins SiriusXM's hilarious comedy lineup, including Comedy Central Radio, Raw Dog Comedy Hits, The Foxxhole, Blue Collar Comedy, Laugh USA and more. Those satellite radio subscribers who add SiriusXM Internet Radio access to their subscription can listen to Canada Laughs and all of SiriusXM's comedy offerings on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online. 

To learn more about SiriusXM Top Comic visit www.siriusxm.ca/topcomic.

For more information about JFL42 and to get passes visit www.jfl42.com.

For tickets and information on Russell Peters Almost Famous Tour presented by SiriusXM Canada visit www.russellpeters.com.

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About SiriusXM Canada

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (TSX: XSR) operates as SiriusXM Canada. SiriusXM Canada, with approximately 2.5 million subscribers, is the country's leading audio entertainment company and broadcasts more than 120 satellite radio channels featuring premier sports, news, talk, entertainment and commercial-free music. SiriusXM Canada offers an array of content from the most recognized news, entertainment and major sports brands including the NHL, NFL, NBA, NASCAR, CNN, CBC, FOX, BBC, Howard Stern, Oprah, Disney, Comedy Central and more.

SiriusXM programming is available on a variety of devices including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks and boats, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available online at www.siriusxm.ca and on Apple and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM Canada has partnerships with every major automaker and its radio products are available at more than 3,000 retail locations nationwide. To find out more about SiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), visit our website at www.siriusxm.ca.

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SOURCE: SiriusXM Canada